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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 25, 2002
ST. PETERSBURG -- Two days after he was arrested on a trio of charges, including the aggravated rape of a 15-year-old girl, Rays prospect Greg "Toe" Nash remained in a Louisiana jail Thursday.
"He's still sitting there," Ascension Parish Chief Deputy Sheriff Col. Tony Bacala said.
The 19-year-old outfielder, who signed with Tampa Bay after scout Benny Latino discovered him in the summer of 2000, was arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated rape, aggravated crime against nature and felony theft.
Nash, housed in a cell with 20 other inmates at the Ascension Parish Jail, was being held on $300,000 bail. A grand jury hearing is expected to take place next month.
"He has not made the bond yet," said Maj. Bobby Webre, the jail warden. "I'm certain he's going to hire an attorney. One came and visited him (Wednesday), but I don't know if that's going to be his counsel. It may just be a personal friend. We haven't appointed him one."
Nash, who lives in Sorrento, La., roughly midway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, faces up to life in prison if convicted on the aggravated rape charge, which Ascension Parish detectives learned about while investigating a theft in Donaldsonville, about 20 miles southwest of Sorrento.
Bacala said Nash and two friends stole a jug of change, a safe, an alarm clock and a pistol from a house Monday in Donaldsonville. Some of the stolen property was found that day at a residence in St. Amant, where the 15-year-old girl lived. St. Amant neighbors Sorrento.
Larry Reynolds, Nash's agent, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Nash had been arrested five other times since his 18th birthday.
Ascension Parish District Attorney Tony Falterman, who also was unavailable for comment Thursday, allowed Nash to enter a pretrial diversion program so he could play baseball after being charged with hitting his 41-year-old live-in girlfriend in January 2001.
"I was just trying to help the kid," Falterman told the Advocate in Baton Rouge, La. "Sometimes you can't help people. I think this guy is beyond help now. All you can do is what you can do. I feel for the victim and her family."
Nash hit .240 with eight homers and 29 RBIs for Princeton of the Appalachian League and had offseason knee surgery.
"Right now, baseball is secondary," Rays scouting director Dan Jennings said. "This is definitely primary."
MINOR MATTERS: The Rays signed seven players to minor-league contracts. All were invited to spring training.
Four were pitchers: left-hander Stevenson Agosto and right-handers Carlos Chantres, Luis de los Santos and Jason Dickson. Catcher Kevin Brown, infielder Kevin Sefcik and outfielder Ryan Freel also signed.
TAG DAY: Pitcher Joe Kennedy and second baseman Brent Abernathy will appear during the Rays' tag day sale 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Tropicana Field. Kennedy will be available for autographs from 10 a.m.-noon, and Abernathy is scheduled to be at the Trop from noon-2 p.m. A trip to see the Rays play the Yankees in New York will be given away.
Seats for full season, partial season and Extreme Rays packages will be available. Full-season tickets start at $299. For information, call 1-888-FAN-RAYS.
GAINESVILLE -- Ted Williams, slowed by a series of strokes and congestive heart failure in recent years, was back in the hospital Thursday.
The 83-year-old Hall of Famer was taken from his Citrus County home by ambulance to Shands at the University of Florida, about 50 miles away. The Boston Globe reported he had a 100-degree temperature and low blood pressure and received fluids and antibiotics.
"Dad's doing all right," John Henry Williams said. "He's got some sort of cold or flu or something. But he's far from dead."
CONTRACTION HEARING: The hearing on the grievance by players to block contraction resumed in New York, then quickly recessed until the week of Feb. 4 after management labor lawyer Rob Manfred testified.
PADRES: Right-handed reliever Rob Ramsay was out of intensive care and doing well a day after surgery to remove a brain tumor.
RANGERS: Outfielder Juan Gonzalez completed a physical before returning to Puerto Rico. Team spokesman John Blake said results weren't available.
TIGERS: Detroit claimed infielder Oscar Salazar off waivers from Oakland and designated outfielder Endy Chavez for assignment. ... Dick Egan was hired as a major-league scout.
-- Information from Times wires was used in this report.